Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: AA
Program Code: AA000009
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00:05 In a world surrounded by darkness,
00:08 there is a voice that whispers to every young 00:12 heart, urging them to find the treasure of truth. 00:22 Those who follow the path will discover eternal 00:25 riches beyond their wildest dreams. 00:28 Joined us now for an Amazing Adventure, 00:31 a Journey for Life with Jesus. 00:36 Good morning friends. Welcome to this 00:38 very special edition of Amazing Adventure. 00:41 We're glad that you have joined us wherever 00:43 you are. I know there is a number of sites across 00:45 American, many around the world. 00:48 Friends we'd like also point you to the direction 00:50 of our website. For more information about 00:52 the Amazing Adventure program, those who are 00:54 watching you go to amazingfactskids.org. 00:58 We do have these bright beautiful lessons that 01:00 go along with the series tonight is Journey 01:04 through the Sea. You can get this lesson from the 01:07 website amazingfactskids.org. Let's stand together 01:11 as we sing our theme song. I invite the Amazing 01:13 Adventure singers to come and lead us into song. 01:20 Life is an adventure following the King, 01:25 Everyday with Jesus makes us want to sing, 01:30 Walking in the Spirit He will lead the way, 01:35 With his word to guide us glowing deep inside us, 01:40 Nothing can divide us following the King. 01:46 Life is an adventure following the King, 01:51 Everyday with Jesus makes us want to sing, 01:56 Conquering with kindness everywhere we go, 02:02 Voices we are raising Jesus, we are praising, 02:07 Life is so amazing following the King, 02:12 Life is so amazing following the King. 02:20 Please remains standing as we have our scripture 02:23 reading and prayer this morning. I invite our 02:26 volunteers to come forward. Nathan, 02:33 lets start with the scripture reading. 02:34 Tell us what verse you are reading. 02:37 I am reading John 3:5. Jesus answered, 02:42 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 02:44 unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 02:49 he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 02:51 Thank you very much. Our prayer 02:53 is being brought to us by Rosie. 02:57 Father, thank you for today being the Sabbath, 03:00 and thank you for helping all the people together 03:02 here today. Please bless this program and 03:06 help us to learn about you. In Jesus name, amen. 03:08 Amen, thank you very much. 03:10 You may all be seated. I invite Pastor 03:12 Doug to come forward for Bible questions. 03:15 Morning pastor Ross. Good morning. 03:18 Good morning friends. Good morning. 03:19 And our friends who are watching, 03:21 I wonder how many questions do we have this morning. 03:24 We have got three video questions, 03:25 and then one written in question. Okay. 03:27 So we are ready to start. Let's roll the first video 03:29 question for this morning. My name is Emma, 03:32 I am nine, and my question is why God didn't show 03:35 his face to Moses? Oh you remember Bible tells 03:38 us in the Book of Exodus that Moses asked if 03:42 he could see the Lord and God said no man can 03:46 see my face and live, but he put Moses in the 03:50 cleft of the rock. We sing a song about that he 03:53 hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock. 03:55 He put Moses up in this crag in the rocky mountain 03:58 side. He said I will pass by and I will move my 04:02 hand after I by, and you could see me from behind, 04:06 but no man who sees my face can live. 04:09 The glory of God unshielded his face is so bright 04:13 that it would have destroyed Moses, 04:15 if he would have looked into the unshield the 04:17 glory of God's face. Now here in this world because 04:21 of our sinful bodies and our natures, 04:24 we can't behold the glory which would burn us 04:26 up, it's so bright. Even in angels, Isaiah chapter 6, 04:31 they covered their faces in the presence of God, 04:34 but you the Bible tells us in heaven we are 04:36 going to talk about that tonight that now we look 04:39 through a glass darkly First Corinthians 13, 04:42 but then face to face. In heaven He tells us we 04:46 will see His face. Well thank you very much. 04:50 We do have another video question we will play 04:52 at the time. Hi, my name is Mary Matheson, 04:55 I am eight years old, and my question is. 05:00 What happened to the animals when they got 05:03 off the Ark? Alright, you remember of course, 05:06 Noah was told by the Lord to help assembled on 05:10 the Ark, the animals, they were clean animals 05:14 came by sevens, the unclean animals came two 05:18 by two, and chances are some of them did a 05:21 little multiplying during the one year approximately 05:24 they were on the ark, and when he opened the 05:27 doors and they began to fly out and to crawl out, 05:32 and to rush out. They began to fan out over the 05:36 surface of the earth. Now the world went through 05:38 some dramatic changes shortly after the 05:41 flood. Some of the continental plates were still 05:44 shifting and floating because the world had been 05:46 so saturated, and they believe at that time there 05:49 were some of the continental plates that were 05:51 moving. Some of the animals that were called 05:53 marsupials like kangaroos and koalas. 05:57 There are in Australia some of them went down 05:59 in that direction, and they separated by itself, 06:03 and other animals came to probably went across 06:06 the Bering Strait, and came to North America, 06:09 and others migrated down into Africa and to Asia, 06:12 and they spread, and they multiplied. 06:14 Some animals like some climates, and some areas 06:16 more than others, and so you get very interesting 06:19 collections of animals all over the world based 06:22 on the way they dispersed from mountain Ararat. 06:26 Alright thank you to pastor Doug. 06:27 One more video question for this morning. 06:30 Hi may name is Judith, I am nine years old, 06:32 and my question is. Will Satan stay on earth or 06:37 go to heaven when the second coming is here. 06:41 Okay the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 20, 06:44 that an angel comes down from heaven and he 06:46 binds the devil. The devil is bound in the 06:50 bottomless pit. Now that word bottom list 06:52 pit is really is called abussoz, that's the Greek 06:56 word that means the abyss, and it also describes 07:00 the condition of this world before creation. 07:02 The world was of an abussoz. You can read 07:06 about that in Jeremiah chapter 4, and in the 07:08 Greek version of the Old Testament called the 07:10 Septuagint. This world after Jesus comes is going 07:13 to be chaotic mess. Cities are broken down, 07:17 people have died, the loss, they are lying there. 07:19 Satan is bound on this planet for one thousand 07:22 years, and then he is judged at the end of that 07:25 one thousand years. No Satan does not get to go 07:27 back to heaven. Well Pastor Doug, we've got 07:30 Phillip who is from Jamaica and his question is this. 07:34 How will I know when I am ready for baptism? 07:38 Oh that's a very good question, 07:40 a very important question. I hope that if you 07:43 haven't been baptized, you are thinking about 07:45 that, and those who are watching baptism is a 07:49 lesson today, but it's the most important 07:51 decision that you can make regarding your 07:54 choice to follow Jesus. How do you know when 07:56 you are old enough to be baptized? Well first of 08:00 all you must believe and accept Jesus. 08:03 You need to have your own relationship with the 08:05 Lord will you talk to him on a regular basis. 08:08 You should have your own devotional life, 08:10 are you reading your Bible every day, 08:12 spending some time in prayer. You should be 08:15 a consistent witness and your family should 08:17 be doing your best to represent Jesus at school 08:21 and among your friends and neighbors. 08:23 And we will talk more about that answers, 08:24 but I am glad you are asking that question. 08:27 As matter of fact I think we might even have 08:29 an example of the baptism today. 08:32 That's right pastor Doug immediately following our 08:34 special music. We will be having a baptism right 08:37 here. Praise the Lord. At this time we are going 08:39 to invite our Amazing Adventure singers 08:42 to come forward. God bless. 08:52 And they that be wise shall shine 08:55 as the brightness of the firmament; 09:01 and they that turn many to righteousness 09:06 as the stars forever and ever, 09:09 and ever and they shall shine, they shall shine. 09:19 And they that be wise shall shine 09:24 as the brightness of the firmament; 09:28 and they that turn many to righteousness 09:37 as the stars forever and ever, they shall shine. 09:53 And they that be wise shall shine 09:56 as the brightness of the firmament; 10:02 and they that turn many to righteousness 10:06 and stars forever and ever and ever 10:11 and they shall shine, and they shall shine, 10:19 And they that be wise shall shine 10:24 as the brightness of the firmament; 10:29 and they that turn many to righteousness 10:43 As the stars shall shine forever. 10:44 As the stars shall shine forever. 10:48 As the stars shall shine forever. They shall shine. 11:11 Good morning everyone. Good morning to 11:15 those of you at the downlink sites. 11:16 We have a very special event about to take place 11:19 now. In fact it's probably the point and reason 11:22 that we are here. A young lad Hannah Keenan 11:25 who is seven years old is about to be baptized. 11:28 She has given her life to Jesus Christ. 11:29 Now I can tell you this is a very smart intelligent 11:32 child who very much knows what she is doing 11:35 because of your love for Jesus Christ, 11:37 because of your desire to serve him even at 11:39 this young tender age. It gives myself and Pastor 11:43 Cesar a great pleasure to baptize you in the name 11:45 of the Father and his son Jesus Christ, 11:49 and the Holy Spirit. Let everybody here say, amen. 11:58 Amen. And you say Praise the Lord. 12:10 Praise the Lord. You know that's the reason 12:12 we are dong these meetings is because we want 12:15 to encourage young people in their vigor, 12:18 and youth, and energy of life to commit their 12:21 hearts, and minds, their lives to Jesus. 12:24 So that he can activate the wonderful plan that 12:27 he has for them. You know I am a little sad 12:30 because it seems like we are getting near the 12:32 end of our meetings. We've got this meeting, 12:35 and then one more meeting tonight. Have you 12:37 enjoyed this friends, have you learned some 12:39 things about Jesus, amen. And our friends, 12:43 who are watching, don't forget there are other 12:45 things that we are going to continue to do. 12:47 You can go to the amazingfactskids website, 12:51 and a matter of fact we are going to be posting 12:52 some of the many pictures of the groups from 12:54 around the world. We are going to develop a little 12:56 forum there. So later this week we hope that 12:58 you will go and you will heck amazingfactskids.org. 13:05 How many of you young people, I am just 13:07 wondering in your house you got the Internet, 13:10 show your hands. That's what I suspected, 13:15 you know there are some other websites, 13:17 there is a website called kidsinfo.com, 13:20 there is a website called myplacewithjesus.com. 13:24 I believe voice of prophecy has another good 13:26 kids website. I hope when you are on the 13:28 Internet instead of playing games and shooting 13:31 asteroids, you can be studying the Bible, 13:34 and continuing to grow in your relationship with 13:36 Jesus. So you keep in touch with some of those 13:40 good locations there and you will find out more 13:42 about that. Our lesson this morning is dealing with 13:46 the subject of Journey through the Sea. 13:49 We are going to take an adventure today that's 13:51 going to carry us through to sea. 13:54 You know back during World War 2, 13:58 the battle of Dunkirk, Dunkirk, France was a very 14:02 dramatic time. Over three hundred thousand 14:06 British and allied forces were stuck there on the 14:09 shore of Dunkirk being bombarded by the Germans 14:13 that were pushing them off into the sea with no 14:16 way of escape. And it looked like pretty soon they 14:19 were all going to either drown or they were going 14:23 to be taken prisoner or they were going to be 14:25 killed. And then a special call was put out, 14:30 an emergency call, and across the ocean there in 14:34 England, and other parts of France, 14:36 and even Scandinavia hundreds of fishermen 14:40 brought their little boats and in just nine days 14:44 they evacuated three hundred and thirty 14:47 thousand men from the shore that would have 14:49 perished. It was one of the great rescues of 14:52 history and they brought them across the sea to 14:55 safety. You know right now where they all rode 14:58 across the sea and it took days to do that, 15:01 between England and France there is a tunnel 15:04 not through the sea, but under the sea in the 15:06 earth. It's the two trains that go back and forth is 15:09 called the Chunnel, and have you heard about 15:10 the Chunnel. And now in just a couple of hours 15:13 you can racing like a bullet from Paris all the way 15:17 to England and back again. But we are not going 15:20 to be talking now about going over the sea or 15:25 under the sea. There is a story in Exodus 14 about 15:28 God's people needing to go through the sea in 15:31 order to be saved. You remember when the 15:34 children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, 15:38 and God forced the pharaoh to loosen his grip 15:41 and they began their journey from the slavery of 15:43 Egypt to the Promised Land. This is like salvation. 15:46 But before they could get out of Egypt, 15:49 they had to through the water, and I got news 15:52 for you everybody that wants to get to the 15:54 Promised Land must make that journey that 15:57 adventure through the sea. It's called baptism. 16:01 You remember the children of Israel were up 16:02 there and the Egyptians began to chase them, 16:05 and there was no way of escape. 16:07 So what did God do? He performed a miracle. 16:10 Moses stretched out his rod, and the ocean 16:14 parted and the children of Israel went across 16:17 miraculously. When they went through the sea it 16:21 was they symbol of baptism. Paul tells us in 16:24 First Corinthians 10, they were baptized the sea. 16:28 Now let's get to our lesson here. 16:29 We are going to learn some more about this 16:31 important subject of getting a new beginning 16:34 called baptism. Number one, do we have a choice 16:38 in being saved? You know I have heard some 16:41 people say well God knows everything and God is 16:45 all powerful, and if he wants to save you, 16:47 he will save you and maybe some are meant to 16:48 be saved, and some won't be saved, 16:50 and it's all predestined and you can't decide, 16:53 that's not true. The Bible says you can choose 16:57 Joshua 24:15. Joshua said choose yourself this 17:02 day whom you will serve, but as for me and my 17:06 house we will serve the Lord. Have you made a 17:09 decision to serve the Lord? And again Jesus said, 17:13 no one can serve two masters. There are two 17:17 forces that are warring for our soul. 17:19 Did you all know that? Any of you every played 17:22 tug of war before. You get a bunch of kids on 17:25 one side of the rope, put a flag on the rope, 17:27 and you have a couple of lines, and you get a 17:29 bunch of kids on the other side, and you say 17:31 on your mark get set go, and they began to pull 17:33 back and forth, and whoever can pull one team 17:36 across the line they win. Have your ever feel 17:40 that tug of war going on in your heart. 17:44 There is a tug of war. Jesus loves and he is 17:46 tugging with his love this way. The devil wants 17:49 to destroy you, so he can hurt Jesus. 17:50 He is tugging the other way. But you get to make 17:54 the decision. You are the one who is adding your 17:59 vote, either to the pulling of the devil, 18:02 or the invitation of the Lord, you get to choose. 18:04 That's why Jesus says come on to me. 18:07 You can choose to come to him. The devil cannot 18:09 force you to be lost if you make up your mind to 18:12 give yourself to Jesus and to trust him with your 18:14 life. You have a choice. Matthew 26:24 says, 18:20 you can't serve two masters for you will either 18:23 hate one and love the other, or else you will be 18:26 loyal to one and hate the other, despise the other. 18:30 You get to choose which one you love. 18:32 You can't serve the world and heaven. 18:34 You can't serve Jesus and the devil. You got to 18:37 make up your mind that you want to serve the Lord. 18:40 Jesus said that, I am sorry Moses actually 18:43 said it. I have set before you this day two choices, 18:48 life and death, blessing and cursing. 18:53 Therefore chose life, that both you and your 18:57 children, your descendants might live. 18:59 You can choose life. You know what's sad. 19:03 I want to ask young people a question. 19:05 There is about 6.7 billion people in the world today. 19:10 When Jesus comes will most of them be saved 19:13 or lost. Lost. That's terribly sad, 19:17 but it appears most of them will be lost. 19:19 Jesus said broad is the way that leads to 19:22 destruction and many they are that go in 19:25 through that gate, narrow is the gate that 19:27 leads the life and few there be that find it. 19:29 You know why there is few that find it because 19:32 there is few sincere adventures that are seeking 19:35 for it. Are you seeking for life? What's more 19:38 important than everlasting life? 19:41 There is no greater treasure that you could find. 19:44 Number three, how do I show that I want to 19:48 choose God's team and to live my life for Him? 19:52 What is it that we do to demonstrate I am 19:55 making a decision to commit my life to Jesus. 19:58 Bible tells us in Acts chapter 2, 20:00 Peter was preaching. He said repent everyone 20:03 of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus 20:09 Christ for the remission of sins. 20:12 See baptism represents a cleansing, 20:16 it represents a new birth, it represents a death, 20:19 a burial, and a resurrection. It represents 20:22 a marriage. It represents a very important 20:24 decision that you can publicly make to say I am 20:28 choosing to be cleansed from my sins and to follow 20:31 Jesus. The Lord wants everyone to be saved. 20:35 Why will be some be lost. It tells us right in God's 20:40 word as Ezekiel 33 verse 11. As I live, 20:44 says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death 20:47 of the wicked. God doesn't want to see anybody die, 20:50 not even the wicked. He says but the wicked turn 20:53 from his way and live. And then you can hear 20:56 Jesus pleading turn, turn ye from your evil ways, 21:00 why will you die? The Lord tells us that if we come 21:04 to Him we can turn from the devil, 21:07 turn to the Lord and he will give us life, 21:10 but we need to make that decision. 21:13 So question number four. Is it important to be 21:17 baptized? Oh yes, as a matter of fact Jesus 21:22 said just before he ascended to heaven in the 21:24 Gospel of Mark, chapter 16:16. He who believes 21:29 and is baptized will be saved, but he who does 21:34 believe not will be condemned. 21:37 So did Jesus say baptism is important? 21:39 You need to believe in him and be baptized. 21:41 That means publicly demonstrate your faith in 21:44 him. And not believing is the most dangerous thing. 21:49 The last word of Jesus before he ascended to 21:51 heaven after he died on the cross. 21:54 He was buried, he rose. He talked to the disciples 21:58 for about forty days. He appeared to them and 21:59 then he ascended to the heaven. You know the 22:01 last thing he said. Go ye therefore and teach all 22:05 nations, baptizing them. So how important was 22:09 baptism to Jesus. I would think that the last words 22:14 of Jesus should be the first priority of Christians. 22:18 One of the last things he said go tell everyone 22:21 about the Gospel and baptize them. In another 22:24 words tell them but don't stop there, ask them to 22:27 make a decision to accept the message. 22:31 You know another example in the Bible that tells 22:33 us how important baptism is. Some of you 22:36 remember there was a disciple by the name of 22:37 Philip. He was a deacon, he later became an 22:39 evangelist. And one day the Holy Spirit spoke to 22:42 him. He said Philip I want you to go down to the 22:44 desert by Gaza. I've got something for you to do 22:47 there. So Philip walked the long way from Samaria 22:50 down to the desert by Gaza, and while he is 22:53 walking along wondering why the Lord sent him all 22:55 this way, this big desert region. He saw that 22:58 there was a man who would probably parked his 23:00 chariot to rest a little bit in the shade of a 23:03 big tree, and he was reading the scroll of Isaiah. 23:08 And he was reading a prophecy about messiah, 23:10 and he is reading out loud as the Jews often did. 23:13 And it was just a passage about Jesus coming. 23:17 And he says I am not sure what this means. 23:21 And Philip overheard him, and he said you know 23:24 maybe I can help you understand, and then he 23:26 said you are heading this way hop into my chariot, 23:28 we will go together, and so Philip and the treasurer 23:31 from Ethiopia, they rode along together and 23:34 Philip began to teach him and preach to him about 23:36 Jesus, that Jesus was messiah, and the Holy Spirit 23:40 told that man this is the truth, I can't wait to take 23:42 this message back to my people, 23:43 but I need to make a decision. What prevents 23:47 me from being baptized. And Philip said well if 23:51 you believe with all your heart and you believe 23:53 these teaching, and you're surrendering your life 23:55 you can. And the Ethiopian man said we are 23:58 passing by some water right here, 24:01 maybe there was an oasis, it might have been 24:03 the Mediterranean sea there by Gaza, 24:06 and they got out of the chariot and right then 24:08 and there Philip baptized this man who was a very 24:11 important man with the queen of Ethiopia, 24:14 and when they came up out of the water, 24:16 you know what happened to Philip. 24:18 Have you ever seen someone plain disappear? 24:21 They just vanish. After they came out of water 24:24 Philip vanished and all of a sudden Philip found 24:26 himself up north by Joppa another town miles 24:29 away. Do you think that Ethiopian man was happy? 24:33 He probably thought that Philip was an angel. 24:35 God sent Philip all the way down there to the 24:37 desert to teach that man and baptize him. 24:41 So how important is baptism. And you know 24:44 that man then took the truth about Jesus to 24:46 the country of Ethiopia and it spread all through 24:49 the country to this very day. People are there 24:52 who believe the truth because Philip went down 24:54 to the desert when the Holy Spirit told him to. 24:57 So baptism is very important because when you 25:00 surrender your life to Jesus, you are saying Jesus 25:02 I want you to give permission to fill me with 25:05 your Spirit. Question number five. Does it 25:08 matter how we're baptized? Did you know there 25:12 is a lot of different ways of being baptized? 25:15 The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5. 25:19 There is, this is on the screen you can see with me. 25:22 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. 25:28 One that not only means there is one Lord, 25:30 we commit our lives to. When we are baptized is 25:33 one truth. There is also one true way of being 25:36 baptized, and it does make a difference. 25:39 Now baptism is a symbol, but does the symbol 25:42 matter. Why does a woman wear a white dress 25:46 when she gets married. Anyone know, 25:51 it's supposed to represent purity. 25:55 If she wore a pink dress with white poke dots 25:59 that wouldn't look normal would it. 26:00 Would you say that's a strange looking wedding 26:02 dress because these things have symbols? 26:06 You know one pastor when we have the Lord's 26:09 supper. Jesus gave us two institutions, 26:12 baptism and communion. You maybe you 26:15 participated in communion, you have probably 26:17 seen communion where they have the unleavened 26:19 bread, and little bit of grape juice, you have seen 26:22 that before. That represents the body, 26:25 the bread represents the body of Jesus, 26:27 the grape juice represents the blood of Jesus. 26:29 The bread is not supposed to be leaven. 26:32 Leaven represents sin. Jesus had not sin in his 26:34 life. The grape juice is unfermented. 26:38 Jesus blood was pure. I heard one pastor said 26:41 well its only a symbol, so we are going to have 26:43 communion. We are going to have coco cola 26:45 and hamburgers, since it's just a symbol really. 26:50 Now is that right to do that? Doesn't that 26:53 destroy the meaning when you do something like 26:55 that? The symbols are important and baptism 26:59 being done the right way, there is a beautiful 27:01 symbolism that's lost. You know some 27:03 churches they say well since water is a symbol 27:06 you don't want to get all wet, so we will sprinkle 27:09 a little water on you, and so when the person 27:11 is baptized they just sprinkle a little water on 27:13 him, and they say you have been baptized. 27:16 But that's not what the word means, 27:18 the very word baptism means to be submerged. 27:22 We want to be baptized the way Jesus was, 27:24 don't you think. A Christian follows Jesus. 27:27 How was Jesus baptized? Mark chapter 1, 27:29 verse 9, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan, 27:34 was the Jordan a name of a bottle of water, 27:37 was the Jordan the name of a spring, 27:39 was the Jordan the name of the well, 27:41 or Jordan the name of a river? 27:44 River. So John the Baptist needed the whole 27:47 river to baptize him. He was baptized by John 27:50 in the Jordan and immediately coming up out 27:53 of the water. So he have gone down in the water 27:56 in order for him to come up out of the water. 27:59 He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit 28:02 descending like a dove, and God wants to give 28:04 you the Holy Spirit too. That why it says in John 28:07 chapter 3:23. John the Baptist was baptizing in 28:11 Aenon near Salim. The word Salim or Salem means 28:14 peace, but it was a place in the river where 28:17 there is lot of water. It says he baptized there 28:20 because there was much water, the water was 28:21 deep enough. See even in the Bible Jesus, 28:25 John the Baptist they knew it was important 28:28 to do it the way God said. Matter of fact the 28:30 word baptism it comes from a Greek word baptizo, 28:34 and that word baptizo, it means to dip, 28:38 to immerse, to plunge underwater, 28:42 and that's because when you are baptized its 28:44 like a new birth. It's like a burial, 28:47 and you are totally washed. You are totally buried. 28:50 You are totally reborn. If your parent said 28:54 you know I want you to go out in the backyard, 28:56 I want to bury some trash, and you went out the 28:59 backyard, and you dig a hole, and mom and 29:01 dad were looking and saying to you, you drop 29:04 the trash in the hole, you took a little dirt, 29:06 you sprinkle it on there, and you walked away, 29:08 is it buried. No the neighborhood raccoons 29:12 are going to dig it all up. Buried mean buried. 29:16 Now when you are baptized it's a symbol of 29:17 your sins being washed away. How many of 29:19 you want your sins totally buried. You don't 29:22 want them to resurrect right, and so it's symbolic 29:25 of that. The symbol does make a difference it's 29:28 important. What are some of the other important 29:31 symbols that are represented in baptism? 29:35 Question number six. What other important 29:38 symbols does baptism represent? 29:41 Well Ananias said to Paul why are you waiting? 29:45 Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, 29:50 calling on the Lord. So baptism represents a 29:54 washing away of sin. Now how old do you have 29:58 to be before you know that you need sins washed 30:01 away. Well you know as you get older you begin 30:05 to understand what's right and wrong. 30:06 You can teach a two year old the difference 30:09 between right and wrong, and even younger than 30:11 that. There is something they know are no. 30:15 Some of you I bet the first word that you learned 30:17 was no. How many of you parents. First word 30:22 they learned, no. Nathan's first word was it's 30:27 stuck, it's actually two words. He was out there 30:29 digging in the garden, I put the shovel in the 30:31 ground, and he couldn't pull it out. 30:33 I said it's stuck. He said it's stuck. 30:35 It's the first thing he ever said. 30:39 But we all you know have our first word. 30:41 But we know right and wrong. But really 30:44 understanding the consequences of sin and 30:46 salvation. You know sometimes it's not until 30:49 you are seven, eight, nine and ten years old, 30:52 you begin understand those things. 30:53 Some don't understand until sixteen. 30:56 We all kind of grow with different ages. 30:59 When you are old enough to be lost, 31:02 you are old enough to be saved. There is a 31:03 place the Bible where its called the age of 31:05 accountability. When we are young children, 31:07 we may not understand some of these things, 31:10 and God looks on the heart, doesn't he. 31:12 But when we are old enough to know what 31:14 God really wants us to do. And if we are old 31:16 enough to be lost, we are old enough to be 31:18 saved. And so that's important to remember. 31:22 He said be baptized and you shall receive the gift 31:25 of the Holy Spirit. You know the Bible tells us 31:29 that the Lord wants us to all receive the gift 31:32 of the Spirit. When Jesus was baptized the Holy 31:34 Spirit came down. God's Spirit gives us power. 31:38 Did Jesus need the power of the Holy Spirit 31:40 after his baptism? He began a life of ministry 31:44 and a life of miracles, and not only that was 31:48 Jesus tempted by the devil after he was baptized. 31:52 Yes, and through of the power of God's Spirit 31:55 we can resist temptation. You know there 31:57 is another important symbol for baptism. 31:59 It says husbands love your wives, 32:03 just as Christ also loved the church and gave 32:07 Himself for her. You know baptism is something 32:10 like a marriage. It likes two people love each 32:14 other. Finally they say we are going to 32:16 demonstrate our love for each other. 32:18 We are going to commit to spend our lives 32:20 together, and we are going to belong to each 32:23 other, and the husband promises to provide 32:26 and protect his wife, and the wife promises to 32:29 love. It used to be love, serve and obey, 32:32 but they don't have those vows any more. 32:34 Her husband and that was because it was a 32:37 symbol of Christ and his church. When you are 32:40 baptized you become part of God's church, 32:44 and it's like you get married to Jesus. 32:46 Now baptism is something usually done publicly. 32:48 We just saw a beautiful baptism here. 32:50 It was done in front of other people, why? 32:54 Because you don't want to be ashamed of Jesus. 32:56 Did Jesus died for you publicly? 32:59 Was he in front of other people when he died 33:00 for you. He showed his love for you in front 33:03 of other people. What would you think girls 33:06 if you had a boyfriend. You're too young, 33:08 but if you had a boyfriend and he said yeah, 33:12 I got a girlfriend but I don't anyone to see me 33:15 with her because I am afraid of what they 33:18 might think, or she looks kind of funny. 33:23 You say what. If a man loves a woman, 33:27 and if a woman loves a man, they talk about it, 33:30 they tell everybody, they're not ashamed. 33:31 But if you say I am giving my life to Jesus, 33:34 you shouldn't hide that. You should let 33:36 people know because you love him. So that's why 33:38 weddings are done in front of people with all 33:40 this fanfare and pomp because these two 33:43 people love each other, and the celebrate it. 33:45 A baptism is something its good news because 33:48 it means the person is going from death to life, 33:51 and getting a new beginning. Number seven. 33:54 What else does baptism represent? 33:56 And why does it matter? Answer, Roman 6, 34:01 verse 4, we talked a little bit about this. 34:03 It says we are buried with Him through baptism 34:07 into death, that just as Christ was raised 34:11 from the dead by the glory of the Father even 34:14 so we should walk in the newness of life. 34:17 It's like you are a new born baby when you are 34:20 baptized. Did anyone of you learn to start 34:24 walking when you are like ten months old, 34:28 some of you really young. Yeah one of our 34:30 kids started at ten month old. They looked like 34:32 they were too young to walk, and you know 34:34 when the baby first learns to walk, do they 34:36 sometimes fall down. Should they get discouraged? 34:40 Baby's walking along first few steps they fall 34:42 down and they say well that hurt, I am not 34:44 walking anymore that could be dangerous. 34:48 Never going to try that again is that what 34:49 they say. No, do you know baby falls down 34:52 someone did a study up to three hundred 34:54 times before they can walk with stability, 34:57 three hundred bum, bum, bum, bum, 34:59 bum, bum falling. They keep getting back up again. 35:04 And if you make mistakes after you're 35:06 baptized should you give up. No you're learning 35:09 to walk, it's like a new birth and you begin a 35:13 new life. You know another way it's like a 35:15 new birth. When a baby is born, one of the 35:19 signs is it breaths. When one of our boys was 35:23 born, I don't remember which one was that. 35:26 Steven when he was born and after he 35:28 popped out, he didn't breath and doctors and 35:33 the nurses were getting a little bit worried. 35:35 Well they've given mom so much oxygen that 35:37 he was all pink already, he didn't even need 35:38 to breath. And so he is just like this and 35:41 going, breathe, breathe, they were trying to 35:43 pinch him and get him to breathe because one 35:45 of you know the old movies used to show that 35:47 the doctor would hold up the baby and give 35:49 a swap on the posterior, you know what that 35:51 is right. And he go wee, wee and that would 35:55 mean everyone smiled, he is crying, 35:58 new birth, he is breathing now, everything 36:00 is going to be okay. You know when you are 36:03 held under water, do you breathe under water. 36:06 No that's too big, it's like choking; you come up 36:10 out of the water, you go that represents that 36:13 new life. We learned about the breathe of life 36:16 last night, its like the new spirit of God comes 36:18 into you. You may not feel electricity go up 36:22 and down your spine but God promises that all 36:24 your sins are left behind symbolically in that 36:26 water. You become a new creature. 36:30 It represents a new birth. You know it also 36:33 represents freedom. All your old sins, 36:36 the old slavery left behind the children of 36:38 Israel in Egypt, they were slaves, they crossed 36:41 the Red Sea, the came up free. At Amazing Facts 36:46 we do these radio programs every week, 36:48 and I heard amazing fact about someone by the 36:50 name of Henry "Box" Brown. Have you ever 36:52 heard about Henry "Box" Brown. Henry "Box" 36:55 Brown was a slave who was born in 1831 in 36:58 Virginia when there was slavery and it was very 37:01 rough. And he did his best to serve his master, 37:05 but finally when his master sold his wife and 37:07 children didn't even tell him to someone else. 37:11 He said I had enough of this and he talked to a 37:14 couple of friends. He said I want you to build me 37:17 a box, and they build the box that was two 37:18 feet wide by three feet wide, and about three 37:21 feet high, and Henry crawled in the box, 37:25 and they crated him up. They nailed it shut, 37:28 and they shipped him to Pennsylvania, 37:33 for North Carolina, they nailed, UPS so to speak, 37:38 and he was real quite. He had a little bit of 37:39 water in there and they put him on the horse 37:41 and he was, they put this side up on the box 37:44 to try to keep the right side up, and they 37:46 turned upside down for long time, and he 37:49 bounced along for hours in the wag and then 37:51 he heard some men load him around and 37:53 people and he had to be absolutely quiet and then 37:55 they put him on a train and he bounced around 37:58 on a train, and after twenty seven hours in 38:00 that box had to keep absolutely quiet. 38:04 They finally got him into the land of freedom. 38:06 They opened up the box. He went into the box 38:09 a slave, but he came out a free man, 38:12 and he spent the rest of his life helping other 38:14 people get free. How important is freedom 38:17 to you. Baptism is a decision that you're 38:20 making to serve a different master, 38:23 and when the devil comes after you. 38:24 When you're baptized, you are saying, 38:27 leave me alone devil, I have given my life 38:28 to Jesus. I belong to him now. He has put his 38:31 stamp on me. I am branded by the Lord. 38:34 I am his property. I've got his designer label, 38:37 right. That's what happens when you are 38:39 baptized. Number eight. Do I need to join 38:43 a church when I am baptized? Can I just 38:46 baptize myself in the bath tub tonight Pastor 38:48 Doug. No, it doesn't work that way, 38:52 that's just called the bath, that's not baptism, 38:55 or we're going to swim tomorrow. 38:57 Can I just baptize myself at the pool and not 38:59 tell anybody. No, that's not baptism. 39:02 Baptism is a sacred service where people 39:05 pray and you want to be filled with the spirit 39:08 and it is done publicly by somebody who is 39:10 ordained by the Lord to baptize. 39:12 And you become part of God's church. 39:15 Some people sort of want to be a maverick. 39:18 We are all riding around in the deserts there in 39:20 Nevada a little while ago, and we saw wild 39:22 horses, they don't belong to anybody. 39:24 Some people say I believe in Jesus and I 39:27 believe in the Bible but I don't want to be 39:29 a part of the church. I just want to be sort 39:31 of Mustang Christian. No such a thing. 39:36 The Bible says by one Spirit we are all 39:39 baptized into one body. Now I need a volunteer, 39:45 you didn't think I was going to have anything. 39:46 By someone who has not been chosen. 39:48 Only those hands who have not been chosen. 39:51 I am going to come up here little ways, 39:52 young man, may I know your name, 39:55 come up here, look in the mystery chest, 39:57 and I want to see if you can find, 39:59 see if you can find a nose and a ear in there. 40:06 You find a nose and ear, really good okay. 40:10 Thank you very much. Alright now if I should 40:13 say look a nose. You go yeah so. 40:19 Everybody got a nose right. But if is should 40:22 say oh look a nose, that look like something 40:28 is wrong. If you see a nose on the floor, 40:31 if I would say now as you leave the building 40:32 friends please watch out for the nose on 40:34 the floor. You know what you said that sound 40:38 right, 'cause where does a nose belong? 40:42 It belong to our face, right. This is actually, 40:46 this was President Bush's nose, 40:47 I hope you'll understand. You may have 40:51 recognized it, or if I were to say look you got 40:54 an that ear. Big deal, if it's on someone's face, 40:59 but if you say there is an ear on the ground. 41:04 How long does a nose, if someone's nose get 41:06 cut off. Do you know if you sow it back on fast 41:09 enough it'll grow back, or if you cut off a finger 41:12 but if there is a finger laying on the ground. 41:15 The Bible says that we are all parts. 41:17 Thank you very much, you can take that nose 41:19 and ear back with you, you just don't play with 41:20 them. You never know you might need a spare 41:22 someday. If the Bible says we are part of the 41:29 body of Christ, you are all different parts, 41:32 you all have different gifts, you have 41:34 different talents and when we all come together 41:36 together you are the hands, and the feet, 41:40 and the eyes, and the mouth, and the ears, 41:42 and the nose of Jesus. We show the world 41:45 what Jesus is like today by our words, 41:49 and by our actions. That's why you want to be 41:50 a good witness. And if you are baptizing 41:53 you're not part of the church, you are not 41:55 going to last very long. How long does a nose 41:57 live when it's separated from the face. 42:01 I got a friend who accidentally cut off his 42:02 finger. He was sawing something, and they 42:05 rushed him to the hospital twenty miles away, 42:09 and they got there and the doctor said 42:10 where is the finger. They said well it's back in 42:13 the wood shop. And the doctor said well it's 42:16 too late now. If you'd brought it with you, 42:18 I could have sew it back on especially if 42:20 you packed it in ice, but it stay separated from, 42:25 so he is kind of short finger now. 42:28 You got to stay attached to the body. 42:30 When a lamb is born doesn't it need to be in the 42:32 fold where it's protected? If a lamb is out there 42:35 in the woods, a wolf is going to get him. 42:37 And so when you are baptized you need 42:39 to be part of the church. Jesus is the head 42:42 of the body of the church, and again you read 42:45 in Acts chapter 2, verse 47. The Lord 42:49 added to the church daily those that were 42:52 being saved. Notice saved added to the church. 42:56 So before you baptize you should have a 42:58 commitment to be part of a church family 43:01 and that means attending and it's good if you 43:03 can go to not only Sabbath school and church, 43:05 but prayer meeting and other special functions, 43:07 so you can grow. Can you be too bad to be 43:10 saved? What if you do something bad after 43:13 you're baptized? You're disqualify. 43:17 No, what did we just learn. Baby learning to walk, 43:20 you're going to make mistakes, 43:22 don't let the devil discourage you. 43:23 I try to be a Christian but I keep sinning, 43:25 and I keep getting tempted. You're going to 43:27 be tempted as long you're in this life. 43:30 Don't get discouraged. The devil will try to 43:33 tempt you to give up on Jesus. Jesus will not 43:36 give up on you, so don't give up on him, amen. 43:39 It says if we confess our sins, He is faithful 43:42 and he's just to forgive our sins and to 43:45 cleanse us. Following the Lord you'll get stronger, 43:48 you'll grow better, you will do better all the time. 43:51 It says the Lord promises, the one who comes to 43:54 Me I will by no means cast him out. 43:58 You can trust the Lord that he will never turn 44:00 away from you if you come to him. 44:03 Just don't let the devil discourage you. 44:06 Be determined, I am going to follow Jesus. 44:08 And if I fall down, I am going to get back up 44:09 again. If you fall down what you are going to 44:11 do? If you sin, you get on your knees and come 44:15 to Jesus, and say Lord I am sorry, help me, 44:17 and he will help you do better every time. 44:20 Just don't let the devil discourage you. 44:22 You can be a Christian. You know a lot of 44:25 people decide to be Christians, and they start 44:27 the race, but they quit along the way. 44:31 There would be lot more people that would 44:32 make it to the kingdom if they wouldn't get 44:34 discouraged and give up. You need to press on. 44:38 Number ten. How do I know when I am ready 44:41 to be baptized? Have you made a decision to 44:44 follow Jesus? Do you love God? 44:48 So if you made a decision to follow him, 44:50 and you love the Lord, you must choose, 44:52 we've talked about that. Another way that 44:55 we know that we're ready to accept Jesus. 44:58 Are you willing to give up your selfish ways and 45:00 the ways of the world and to follow Jesus 45:03 because you love Him more. You know there 45:05 are some things if everybody is going to be 45:08 asked to deny themselves. Jesus said if you 45:10 follow him you need to take up your cross, 45:13 deny yourself daily, and follow him. 45:16 Now some things that you deny are no problem 45:18 for me, some things I struggle with would 45:21 be no problem for you. But everybody has a 45:24 struggle, you need be willing to let go of those 45:27 things. Some of you might be addicted to 45:29 video games all the time. Nintendo DS, 6 Box, 45:36 Sony, they got all these different games, 45:37 and it's almost an addiction or you can get 45:41 hypnotized by that stuff, and the devil can get 45:43 your minds all fevered or you got your favorite 45:47 TV program, you just can't miss it. 45:50 Is the Bible more important to you than that, 45:51 spending time with Jesus. You might need to go 45:53 through those struggles. I am going to let go 45:55 of those things. The devil is going to want you to 45:57 think those things are too important. 45:59 I need a volunteer. Let me see, 46:03 I went to this side, this time no you've never 46:06 volunteered before, you haven't okay, 46:08 you come on up here. I want you to look in the 46:11 mystery chest, and see if you could find a vase, 46:16 if it was more expense it would a vase, 46:20 but I got it at Wal-Mart. Alright, thank you very 46:24 much. I appreciate that. What is your name? 46:28 I want to pick somebody look like you're 46:30 Daniel? Danny. Danny, okay. Now I just want to 46:33 illustrate something here. There is opening to 46:36 the vase, and I can get my hand in here not 46:39 too much trouble right. Alright, see that, 46:43 it's alright I want you to help me now get this 46:45 off. You're strong boy. That hurts. 46:52 Oh I give up, okay. You did your best, 46:56 it's kind of stuck. I wonder if it will make a 46:58 difference if I let go of this. As long as I 47:05 hold onto that, I couldn't get my hand out. 47:10 I am hanging on to the world, and doing that 47:14 you can't get out. You know that's how they 47:15 catch monkeys in some part. The put these 47:17 coconuts down, they cut a little hole in the 47:20 coconut, they put the monkey's favorite fruit 47:22 in here and the monkey can get his hand in but 47:23 then he takes a fistful of the fruit and the 47:26 coconut is chained to the ground and the people 47:30 just walk right up and grab the monkey 'cause 47:31 the monkeys won't let go, and so they're captured 47:34 'cause they won't let go. And you know the 47:36 devil does that, I'll let you keep the world. 47:40 It's worth more than the vase. 47:45 And that's how the devil gets a lot of people too. 47:48 It's because we say I want to follow Jesus 47:50 but we can't get away, 'cause we won't let go 47:52 of some of the things that are separating us 47:55 from Jesus. We need to make sure that Jesus has 48:00 first place in our life. The Bible says seek ye 48:02 first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 48:05 Do you pray and read the Bible daily to know 48:09 God's will? You many not understand it all 48:11 at first. I didn't, but just keep reading it, 48:15 and you'll get to know him. You want to 48:17 study the main teachings of the Bible and 48:21 understand them, and those main teachings 48:24 the foundational things we're covering most of 48:26 that during the series. That will prepare you 48:29 to make that decision. You want to be helpful 48:32 round the house with your chores, and try and 48:34 demonstrate your love for the Lord, 48:37 and then you can have a new beginning. 48:39 You know Jesus baptism is a symbol to us for 48:42 what we should expect when we're baptized. 48:45 Was Jesus baptized for his sins? Jesus never 48:49 sinned, so why was he baptized. 48:52 As an example for you and me. Look quickly 48:55 and what happened when Jesus was baptized. 48:58 He was baptized, the Bible in Matthew 3:16. 49:01 he came up out of the water and immediately the 49:05 heavens were open to him. When you're 49:07 baptized the heavens are now open to you 49:09 in a special way. God will hear your prayers. 49:12 And it says he saw the Spirit of God descending. 49:15 God will send his Spirit to you like a dove. 49:19 He will send peace and power into your life 49:22 and lighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice from 49:25 heaven God will speak. Now you will hear 49:28 him guiding you through his Spirit, saying this is 49:31 my beloved son. You have been adopted into 49:34 the family of God as his son and daughter. 49:37 He loves and treats you like Jesus, 49:39 likes his own son. In whom I am well pleased. 49:46 He want you to have that experience. 49:49 Have you made a decision that you want to have 49:51 that new life. That's our last question. 49:54 Do you want to give your life to Jesus now and 49:57 be baptized, that you can experience that new 50:00 birth, to have your sins washed away to know 50:04 that you got the label of Jesus on your life. 50:06 You can make that adventurous journey through 50:08 the sea and be free. You know I would like to 50:11 ask our group leaders right now if they would 50:13 be good enough pass out our decision cards, 50:15 these response cards we told you about. 50:18 Both at our locations that are watching all 50:21 around the world, and here in Richardson, Texas. 50:25 And some of you have already made this decision 50:27 but we know some children did not come every 50:29 night and so we like to encourage you today 50:32 especially today. I am asking you if you like to 50:35 make a decision to be baptized. Now you want 50:39 to talk about this with your parents, 50:40 but you can make your decision right now, 50:43 and talk and pray with them, and talk to the pastor, 50:46 or your youth pastor, your group leader wherever 50:47 or your youth pastor, your group leader wherever 50:48 you are meeting, write your name on your 50:51 card, and your address of course, 50:55 your phone number. Name and phone number is 50:57 most important and that first question he is 51:00 saying. Yes, I want to give my heart to Jesus to 51:05 follow his teaching in the Bible. I'd like to be 51:08 baptized and have all of my sins washed away. 51:12 Now I am going to be praying with you in just 51:14 a moment, okay. If you weren't here, 51:18 check that box if you would like to make that 51:21 decision to give your heart to Jesus. First you must 51:23 believe. Second one, I would like to be baptized 51:28 and have my sins washed away. Write that 51:32 down there on your card, and mark that spot. 51:37 And then the third one, I'd like to meet with 51:40 the pastor, and find our more about baptism. 51:43 Of course also remember to tell your parents 51:45 about your decision to follow Jesus. After you 51:50 fill up out your cards we invite you to pass 51:52 them down the isle and give them to your group 51:55 leaders. Give them to the row captains or 51:59 whatever device you have. So many of young 52:02 people might just be watching in your homes with 52:03 a small group right now. You can make a decision 52:07 and then call your neighborhood Seventh Day 52:09 Adventist church. Let the pastor know, 52:12 I've been watching the Amazing Adventure, 52:14 and I made a decision, I want to be a Christian, 52:16 I want to follow Jesus, and they'll help 52:19 facilitate that new birth friends. Nothing is 52:22 more important than following Jesus, amen. 52:25 Baptism represents a new birth, and death to 52:28 the old life, a new beginning, freedom being 52:32 filled with the Spirit, the heavens being opened, 52:35 and he wants to activate his power, 52:38 and when Jesus was baptized don't forget that 52:41 when he began his life of miracles and ministry. 52:45 Jesus wants you to have a miraculous life and 52:48 adventurous life. It begins by surrendering your 52:52 heart to him, and being baptized. And we will plan 52:57 on the best date when the pastor and your 52:58 parents think you're ready, okay. Now I'd like 53:01 to close the service with prayer. We are just 53:03 about out of time, so even if you're not done with 53:05 your cards, lets just be still right now. 53:08 Let's bow our heads. Loving Father, 53:13 we are so thankful for the truth, that though 53:15 he have sinned, and made mistakes. 53:18 You are willing to wash us from all of our sins to 53:20 cleanse us in the blood of the lamb that we 53:24 might be pure and holy in your sight. 53:28 I pray that these young people will make 53:29 the decisions today to accept Jesus personally 53:33 as their savior. To place their lives, 53:35 their hearts and minds in His hands, 53:38 choose to be baptized, and begin that new 53:40 amazing adventure with him. Pour out Your 53:43 Spirit on them Lord. We ask this in Jesus name, amen. 53:49 God bless you friends. Don't forget our very 53:51 important lesson tonight on the 53:53 city of gold. We'll see you then. |
Revised 2014-12-17